Month: July 2019

A’s score early and often in destroying the ChiSox 13-2 on Saturday

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Canha
Canha and Olson celebrate on a day when the A’s score 13 runs Photo: @Athletics

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Oakland — The A’s continued their winning ways on Saturday as they won for the eighth time in their last 10 games dominating the Chicago White Sox (42-46) 13-2. Oakland put seven runs up on the board in the first inning. That was the first time the Athletics had done that since 2014 against the Astros.

The A’s sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the first inning. The big highlight of that inning was when Franklin Barreto hit a 1-1 pitch from Ross Detwiler over the wall in left field with two runners on base for a 3-run home run. It was his second round-tripper of the year. Bob Melvin said it was a “huge” hit that really put the Athletics on the winning path.

Chicago starting pitcher Dylan Covey lasted just 0.2-innings as he gave up six runs (all earned off just four hits. Covey walked two batters and struck out one. He threw 32 (20 strikes) pitches to the eight batters he faced. And of course, Covey (1-5) was charged with the loss.

The A’s never let up in the game. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Oakland (52-41) hit five consecutive base hits that resulted in four runs. With the score at 11-0, you could sense the competitive spirit of the White Sox had left the building.

Focus on the Athletics

Bassitt
Photo/Graphic: @Athletics
  • Chris Bassitt picked up his sixth victory of the season as he worked six scoreless innings. Bassitt allowed just four hits while walking just two and striking out six of the 24 batters he faced. This was the first time Bassitt had worked that many innings since back on June 2nd versus Houston. He wound up with a no-decision in that contest. Bob Melvin was pleased with Bassitt because he worked hard with the big lead and did not lose his focus.
  • The top four men the Oakland batting order went 9-for-16 in the game. They scored seven runs and recorded three RBI. Marcus Semien went 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Matt Chapman had a 3-for-4 day with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. Matt Olson was 2-for-4 with the bat while scoring three runs and adding an RBI. DH Khris Davis had a 1-for-3 game scoring two runs and driving in one run. Skipper Bob Melvin acknowledged that his top four men in the batting order are the keys to his team’s offense.
  • Blake Treinen was able to get some work in as he pitched the seventh inning. He gave up two runs off two hits. Melvin was not concerned about Treinen’s performance as it was not in the type of “high pressure” situations the reliever normally works in during games.
  • Melvin was also pleased to get Lou Trivino into the game for an inning. Trivino had not seen any game action since July 4th. He worked one scoreless inning on Saturday.
  • The A’s scored 13 runs off 13 hits and recorded 13 RBI in the game on Saturday.
  • Oakland is now 6-2 in the month of July. The A’s have won three consecutive games. They have won all three series that they played in July.
  • The A’s record is now 28-20 at home and 24-21 on the road.
  • The team is 20-15 in day games.
Barreto
Franklin Barreto celebrates after A’s win Photo: @Athletics

Chicago White Sox Notes

  • Dylan Covey’s 0.2-innings was the shortest by a ChiSox pitcher since September 21, 2017, when Carson Fulmer left after just 0.1-inning pitched due to a blister.
  • White Sox catcher Zack Collins ended an 0-for-23 hitless streak when he singled in the seventh inning. Collins had not recorded a hit since hitting a home run in his first Major League at-bat. Chicago pitchers may not be thrilled to have Collins behind the dish when they are on the mound. They have a 6.50 ERA when Collins is catching.
  • Yoan Moncada ended his career-high 14-game hitting streak (23-for-57) by going 0-for-4 in the game. He was hitting .404 during the streak.
  • Outfielder Jon Jay had a 2-for-4 game with the bat and has now reached base safely in 11 of his 12 games with the Sox.

Interesting factoid of the game

Today’s announced attendance was 22,222. For a while, it felt like that might be the total number of runs that might be scored in the game.

Up Next

In the series finale on Sunday, the White Sox will send RHP Reynaldo Lopez (4-8, 6.34) to the hill to face the Athletics LHP Brett Anderson (9-5, 3.86). Anderson was victorious in his last start in Seattle on July 5th – winning that game 5-2.

 

MLB podcast with Matt Harrington: Posey’s slam paces Giants for win over Brew Crew; A’s Fiers pitches to a 5-1 win over Chisox; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey hits a grand slam during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Friday, July 12, 2019, in Milwaukee

On the MLB podcast with Matt:

#1 A grand time to be had by all San Francisco catcher Buster Posey whose been hitting below .300 or near it all season which is unusual for him hit a grand slam in the 10th inning to help launch the Giants to a 10-7 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on Friday night.

#2 Oakland A’s pitcher Mik Fiers pitched 7.2 innings of shutout ball against the visiting Chicago White Sox as the A’s held a 5-0 lead and eventually won it 5-1.

#3 Red Sox were back to their old ways again with some home run help from Xander Bogaerts with a three run homer, and solo homers from Rafael Devers and Christian Vazquez as the one hour rain delayed game was worth the wait as the Sox crushed the LA Dodgers 8-1.

#4 The hot Minneosta Twins continue to roll with a 5-3 win over Cleveland Jorge Polanco knocked a two run double in the seventh inning that ended Cleveland’s six game win streak.

#5 The New York Yankees blanked the Toronto Blue Jays 6-0 as pitcher Domingo German pitched six innings of shutout ball and Edwin Encarnacion belted a three run double to contribute to the run total.

Matt Harrington does the MLB podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hoesen stuns opponents again, Quakes win 2-1

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @PaloaPalo3

By Pearl Allison Lo

CARSON, Calif. — Danny Hoesen jumped off the bench with his second substitute goal in as many games, as the Earthquakes won the California Clasico series 2-0 versus the Los Angeles Galaxy at Dignity Health Tennis Center Friday night.

Hoesen made his minutes count. After teammate Vako broke through former San Jose goalie David Bingham three minutes earlier, Hoesen made sure that would not be all. At the speed of pinball, Vako started off the play kicking to Hoesen, who came in two minutes earlier, to Bingham and into the net in the 64th minute. Last game, Hoesen scored in the 93rd minute to lead his team to victory. 

With the win, San Jose jumped to fourth place in the Western Conference, three points behind the Galaxy. It was the Earthquakes’ first visit to  Dignity Health Sports Park since it was renamed from StubHub Center. Last matchup between the teams, San Jose also won with three goals.

The Quakes’ 32 shots were a season-high and the most ever in a road game for them.

Magnus Eriksson had a game-high six chances created, 88 touches and 69 total passes, but pointed out, “We need to stay humble, because we know what happened last season, and it was tough…if we start being cocky about our way of playing, I think we can go straight down…stay united as a team and if we do that, we will continue taking victories. We’re nothing without that…”  

It was a tale of two halves for Bingham and the two teams in terms of scoring. Bingham stood tall in the first, despite San Jose outshooting Los Angeles 12-2. He even made a season-high seven saves throughout the game before the Quakes started scoring. 

The scoring in the opening half was based on corners. Both of the Galaxy’s shots came off them. San Jose had 10 corners, two of them sandwiched an attempt by Espinoza in the 19th minute. 

The Quakes fell behind early. The Quakes’ Tommy Thompson just got the ball out of the way in front of the net in the 2nd minute before Uriel Antuna could get to it. However, it resulted in a successful corner by Jonathan dos Santos the same minute. The ball landed right on Rolf Feltscher’s left foot as he kicked the ball in goal for the early lead. 

San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza went flying which earned him a free kick in the 5th minute. On the other end, Thompson earned a yellow card when he grabbed his opponent by his jersey when he went by. 

Vako just missed with the first shot in the 12th minute. That same minute Chris Wondolowski tried too, but it went into the hands of Bingham. 

In the 23rd minute, the teams almost almost repeated the games’ 2nd minute. Antuna was veering into wide open territory but, Guram Kashia pushed the ball away for another corner. This corner did not result in a goal though, but Daniel Vega was forced to reach for the crossbar as he was able to tip the ball away.  

Frustration was evident in the 48th minute after Wondolowski ended up with a chance at an empty net in the 48th minute. 

The Quakes’ finally broke through though in the 61st minute with patience and continued attack. Vako was the scorer with an almost straightaway shot that found the bottom left corner. 

Los Angeles had three shots after, two in the 70th minute (blocked and missed). San Jose had seven before scoring again, six of them on target, including two in the 77th, one in the 78th and two in the 79th. 

The Quakes’ persistence paid off once again in the 85th minute. Bingham was able to block Vako’s initial shot but the rebound went straight to Jackson Yueill, off Bingham’s fingers and into the net. 

Up Next: San Jose’s shots in the first were evened out with four apiece on target, off target and blocked. The Quakes now set their sights on the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday July 20 at 7 pm to close out their road trip.  

A’s off to a great start in the second half, rout the White Sox 5-1

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Lewis Rubman

Chicago White Sox: 1 | 10 | 1
Oakland Athletics: 5 |13 | 0

OAKLAND — For the third time this year, Mike Fiers took the mound for the A’s to open a segment of the season. He was trounced by Seattle in Tokyo in the season opener but came back eight days later to get the win against the Angels in Oakland’s first game of the campaign on American soil, although his performance on that occassion didn’t even rate as a quality start. His pitching picked up in May, including a no-hitter on the seventh, and, when Frankie Montás was suspended on June 21 for violating MLB’s drug policies, Fiers became the undisputed ace of the A’s pitching staff, a distinction he in any case deserved by dint of his own efforts. The A’s starter went into tonight’s contest with an ERA of 2.87 in May, 2.30 in June, and 1.50 for his one start in July. He faced the task of getting the third portion of the season, the long haul between the All=Star Game and the final stretch drive, off to a successful start.

Facing him for the White Sox was Iván Nova, a right-hander much given to throwing sinker balls and having a 4-7, 5.88 ERA record to show for it.

The A’s opened the scoring in the top of the first, when, with one out, Matt Chapman’s line drive ate up Leury García at short and ended up as a single to left. Matt Olson promptly moved Chapman to third with a single to right. The A’s third baseman then scored on Khris Davis’s clean single to center. Nova escaped further damage by inducing Mark Canha to hit into an inning ending double play, short to second to first.

Ramón Laureano extended the A’s lead by blasting a 2-2 pitch into the second deck left field seats for his seventeenth home run of the season. Not to be outdone, Jurickson Profar, batting left-handed, the switch-hitting second sacker’s weak side, followed with a homer, his eleventh, into the Budweiser seats in right, putting the home team in front by a score of 3-0.

The Pale Hose threatened in the top of the third when Ryan Cordell and García, the number nine and one hitters, laced back to back one out singles. But Oakland’s Fiers put out the Chicago fire, striking out Yoán Moncada and José Abreu, both of them swinging.

Fiers kept on shutting out the Sox, and Nova settled down, not allowing the A’s any more runs until with one down in the bottom of the sixth Canha shot his 13th round tripper of the season over the center field fence, just to the right of the 400 foot sign. On the next pitch, Robbie Grossman lined a double off the left center field wall. But Nova got Laureano to ground out to third and Profar to first to keep the A’s from posting a crooked number.

But Nova had thrown 104 pitches, and that finished his work for the night. Josh Phegley greeeted his replacement, Juan Minaya, by hitting a solid single to left on his first offering in the home half of the seventh. Three pitches later, Semien plated Phegley with a triple to left center. Minaya got two quick outs on Chapman and Olson but then issued back-to-back walks to Davis and Canha to load the bases. Rick Rentería sent lefty Josh Osich in to face Grossman, who would have batted from his weak, right, side if Bob Melvin hadn’t sent Chad Pinder in to hit for him. Osich got his man on a called third strike. But, by now, the A’s held a 5-0 advantage over Chicago.

When Fiers walked John McCann with two down and a man on base in the top the eighth, the A’s starter had thrown 111 pitches over seven and two-thirds, innings, more pitches over more innings than in any game since his early season no-hitter. Oh, yes, his replacement, Yusmeiro Petit, retired the side by getting John Jay to ground out to Profar at second.

Joakim Soria came in to mop up in the ninth. He wasn’t quite up to the job. García’s two-out single on a 3-2 count brought in Eloy Jiménez who had led off the frame with a single to spoil the shutout. Oakland’s all star closer, Liam Hendricks, the Pride of Perth, came in and struck out Moncada on three pitches.

The win went to Fiers; the loss to Nova. Hendrick got the save, his sixth in eight opportunities.

Oakland’s win puts them at 51-41, a half a game behind Cleveland for the second wild card spot.

Tomorrow afternoon’s contest will feature righty Chris Bassitt (5-4, 4.29 ERA) on the bump for the A’s. His opposing number is as yet unnamed, making it likely that he will be an opener.

Posey’s grand slam wins it for the Giants 10-7

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

Buster Posey came up with the biggest hit of the night when the San Francisco Giants needed it the most.

Posey launched a grand slam off the scoreboard in left-center field, helping the Giants to a 10-7 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

The grand slam by Posey was the fifth of his career, and it was set up after Joe Panik led off the inning with a single, Mike Yastrzemski walked and Brandon Belt singled. Posey took the first pitch he saw from Matt Albers over the wall.

Will Smith blew his first save of the season in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he gave up a leadoff triple to Christian Yelich and then two batters later, Mike Moustakas tied up the game, when grounded out to Joe Panik.

Brandon Crawford gave the Giants the lead in the top of the ninth inning, as he hit a solo home run off of Brewers closer Josh Hader and it was the second home run in as many innings that Hader surrendered.

Tyler Austin tied up the game in the top of the eighth inning, as he hit a solo home run to right field.

The Brewers took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Ryan Braun doubled Yasmani Grandal and Moustakas to tie up the game and then took the lead when Eric Thames singled in Braun.

Evan Longoria hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to give them their first lead of the game that scored Posey.

Austin Slater tied up the game in the top of the fifth inning, as he an opposite field home run that scored Kevin Pillar in front of Slater.

Keston Hiura gave the Brewers the lead in the bottom of the second inning, as he singled off of Giants starter Shaun Anderson.

Thames doubled in Braun in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead and then one-half inning later, Slater tied it up.

Anderson went five innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking three and striking out eight, as he did not fare in the decision.

It was a season-high eight strikeouts for Anderson, who struck out Yelich on three different occasions.

Brewers starter Chase Anderson left with the lead, as he also went five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out five.

Hiura drove in the final run of the game in the bottom of the 10th inning, as he hit his eighth home run of the season off of Mark Melancon.

Despite blowing his first save of the season, Smith ended up picking up his second win of the season.

NOTES: This was the first time that the Giants hit more than four home runs since April 23, 2014 against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, when they hit six.

UP NEXT: Madison Bumgarner makes his return to the mound, as he is ready to pitch after leaving Sundays game at Oracle Park, when he was smacked on the elbow on a Jose Martinez liner.

Zach Davies will take the mound for the Brewers, as he makes his second start of the season against the Giants. Davies lost to the Giants on June 14 at Oracle Park, and is 0-2 with a 2.81 ERA in his three career starts.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca and Daniel Dullum: If Smith and Bumgarner go, so will any chance for a wild card go for SF

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

On the Giants podcast with Michael and Daniel:

#1 The Giants are 5 1/2 games out from a wild card spot as the second half starts tonight. Critics says forget those odds, the team hasn’t had enough offense to get back. What does Michael say to those critics?

#2 If the Giants are sellers and unload starter Madison Bumgarner and closer Will Smith, that would pretty much crush any chance the team has at the postseason.

#3 Buster Posey has — like last season — been off limits for any trade deals and most likely that will be the case this July too. Posey has had several concussions and his hitting has been below where it normally is at this time of year. How much does Posey’s past injuries play even though he’s untouchable?

#4 If the Giants deal Bumgarner and Smith, how much will their departures impact the Giants for years to come?

#5 The Giants open up a three-game series in Milwaukee tonight and a six-game road trip. Milwaukee has always been a tough customer. The Giants will be starting Shaun Anderson (3-2, 4.23 ERA), and for the Brewers, Chase Anderson (4-2, 4.32 ERA).

Michael Duca and Daniel Dullum does the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State and USC agree to non-conference game in 2024

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State University football team will return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum when the Spartans face the University of Southern California in a non-conference game on September 7, 2024. Athletics Director Marie Tuite made the announcement on behalf of San Jose State.

The Spartans will be playing USC for the first time since the 2009 season opener for both teams. USC won each of the four previous meetings between these teams in the Coliseum. The Trojans were ranked #7-nationally in 1995, #9 in 2000, unranked to start the 2001 season, and #4 in 2009 heading into the San Jose State game.

The Spartans will be returning to the Los Angeles metropolitan area for football for the first time since 2011 when San Jose State faced UCLA at the Rose Bowl in a non-conference game.

The 2019 Spartans open their season on Thursday, August 29, hosting Northern Colorado in CEFCU Stadium. For tickets to San Jose State football games, visit www.sjsuspartans.com or call (408) 924-7589.

Giants’ future quite murky as trade deadline looms

Published on by jeremy2878Leave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

Technically, the Giants are only five-and-a-half games out of a wild-card spot in the National League as the second half of the season kicks off starting Friday. This fact alone is a cause for slight optimism for a great deal of a fanbase that is still sunbathing from a string of World Series titles won years ago.

Here’s a tip: Forget it. The rest of the league is expected to pick up its play – the wild-card leaders are just hovering above .500 at press time – and the wear and tear that the Giants have shown during the course of this young season will be even more prevalent as the summer months roll along.

That’s not to mention the dead weight that is being caused by underperforming players on bad contracts, which new general manager Farhan Zaidi vowed to do away with upon stepping into his new position this past offseason.

His first big task will be the manner in which he handles the trade deadline, which will take place on July 31, a mere three weeks away.

The player that has created the most buzz has been lefty Madison Bumgarner, and to no surprise, there is no shortage of teams that could put a sizable deal on the table. The Twins, Yankees, Braves and Phillies, among other teams, could be possible destinations for Bumgarner, with a move to Atlanta making the most sense.

Besides Bumgarner, there has been more talk surrounding lefty closer Will Smith, who has been perfect in his save opportunities this season and has by far been the most consistent performer on the Giants’ roster. Among teams that could be destinations for Smith are the Washington Nationals and the Oakland A’s, who sorely need help in their bullpen if they are going to make another postseason run.

One thing is for certain, however. The Giants are undoubtedly going to be sellers this time around, and this should be quite interesting and could dictate the team’s roster for years to come.

Preview of the A’s series with the White Sox

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: lookoutlanding.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s start the second half of the season by hosting the visiting Chicago White Sox for three games starting Friday night at the Coliseum. The White Sox, under second-year skipper Rick Renteria, have surprised a lot of people as they finished the first half of the season with a record of 42-44. They are currently in third place in the AL Central trailing the Minnesota Twins by 12 1/2 games.

The White Sox have several players on the team that have contributed to their success. Their veteran first baseman, Jose Abreu, is having another excellent season. Abreu is hitting .278 and has hit 21 dingers and driven in 66. Other players to watch include Eloy Jiminez, third baseman Yoan Moncado, Catcher James McCann, and pitcher Lucas Giolito. The White Sox obtained Moncado from the Red Sox in the trade for pitcher Chris Sale. Moncado appears to be reaching his potential as he is hitting .308 and has hit 16 homers and knocked in 48. Giolito is 11-3 and has an ERA of 3.15.

Giolito and McCann were named to the AL All-Star team this year.

Other players to keep an eye on are center fielder Leury Garcia, second baseman Yolmer Sanchez, and veteran right fielder Jon Jay.

The White Sox have several critical decisions to make before the July 31st trade deadline. Will they be buyers or sellers? It does appear that they can overtake the Rays, Indians, A’s, Rangers, or Red Sox in the race for the two Wild Card spots. If they decide to be buyers, they would have to give up prospects to get the players they would need to make a playoff run. If they are sellers, who would go? They have several players that they could move even though they have another year of team control. Perhaps their most valuable asset is closer Alex Colome. The 30-year reliever has converted 20 save opportunities in 21 tries this season. Colome could bring the White Sox some highly rated prospects from teams looking for a reliable closer. The Red Sox might be interested, but their farm system has been depleted. Other players that might be on the move include James McCann, Leury Garcia, John Jay, pitchers Ivan Nova and lefty reliever Aaron Bummer. Jose Abreu is also mentioned as a player that might be going elsewhere.

The A’s have not announced the starters for the series with the White Sox. Mike Fiers, Brett Anderson, and Chris Bassitt probably will pitch this weekend, but that could change. The White Sox will send Ivan Nova to the hill Friday night. Nova is 4-7 with an ERA of 5.58. Reynaldo Lopez will go for Chicago on Sunday. His ERA is 6.34, and he has a won-lost record of 4-8. Lopez’ ERA is the worst of any starting pitcher in baseball.

The A’s would like to sweep the series this weekend. That may not happen, but taking two out of three would be a reasonable goal for the A’s. The A’s are off on Monday. They play two against the Seattle Mariners next Tues and Wednesday before heading off to play four against the Minnesota Twins and three in Houston against the Astros. The schedule brings the A’s home to play the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers.

The A’s are a good second-half team. They know that every game is essential and no opponent can be taken lightly. They are in a race with the Indians, Red Sox, and Rangers for the second Wild Card spot. The A’s are a good team and fun to watch.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s rolling good enough to catch Houston in second half

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: bleacherreport.com

On the A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Jerry, the A’s are opening the second half of the season with a record of 50-41. They for a good part of the first half were a team in last place in the A.L. West. What were some of the factors that lifted them out of the cellar to second place and just seven games out of first place?

#2 The A’s have been getting some great offensive help, but it’s looking up and down that lineup with some of the key bats and key support that they’ve got that have helped the along the way.

#3 Going into the second half, the A’s will continue to try and figure their nemesis, the Houston Astros. The Astros are chalked with talent up and down their lineup, the A’s face the Astros in a couple of weeks, and when that time comes, the Astros will be an important series.

#4 The A’s are in need to get some starting pitching they won’t get Jharel Cotton is reportedly developing well on his come back while Daniel Mengden, who made a comeback, threw an outstanding game on his return to the A’s.

#5 Second half of the season getting ready to get started the A’s are opening things up hosting the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. For the Sox, Ivan Nova (4-7, 5.58 ERA), and for Oakland, Mike Fiers (8-3, 3.87 ERA).

Jerry Feitelberg does the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com